FIRST May 2024

THE MAY ISSUE

HER ENERGY IS CONTAGIOUS

“Being Maltese is my superpower.”

ROBERTA METSOLA, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT

MAZDA CX-5

THE SUV WITH THE SOUL OF A ROADSTER

CAN BE YOURS FOR €36,000

DRIVE TOGETHER

“I always laugh with friends and say motherhood = suffering. But it’s not a joke, it’s the truest thing I’ve ever said. But I wouldn’t change it for anything. As James Baldwin once said, ‘All the children belong to us, everyone of them.’ Belong to the Mothers, the Warriors, the Fighters, The Fearless Ones.”

Madonna

THE MAY ISSUE. INSPIRATION

MADONNA IN RIO

“HERE WE ARE IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD,” MADONNA TOLD THE CROWD. POINTING OUT THE OCEAN VIEW, THE MOUNTAINS AND THE CHRIST THE REDEEMER STATUE OVERLOOKING THE CITY. “THIS PLACE IS MAGIC.”

Madonna closed her Celebration Tour this May with a record-breaking free concert at Copacabana Beach -attended by over 1.6 million the concert set the record for the largest audience ever for a standalone concert by any artist in history. Madonnaopened the show with her 1998 hit Nothing Really Matters, and performed classic hits, including Vogue and Hung Up. During the show she paid an emotional

tribute to “all the bright lights” lost to AIDS as she sang Live to Tell, with black and white photos of people who died from the illness flashing behind her. She also performed Mother and Father in front of a photo of her mother projected over the stage. “I stood on stage for 81 shows staring up at the beautiful face of my mother and wondering what she must’ve been thinking as she waved goodbye to me from her hospital window I stepped into the station wagon and shut the door not knowing it was the last time I’d see her,” wrote Madonna on her Instagram feed. “Nobody told me my mother was dying –I

just watched her disintegrate mysteriously and then she disappeared and there was no explanation except that she had gone to sleep which explains my tumultuous relationship with sleep. Tonight all of my children sleep under one roof which is rare and comforting. They grow up too fast and spin out in different directions.And yes I have a hard time letting go. When I stepped out on the stage and looked up at my mother’s face every night I said hello,I said goodbye,I said Thank you, I hope you’re proud of me. I said Please protect me and keep me sane.”

A Restaurant between Heaven & Earth. Mirazur, on the French Riviera. PhotoMatteoCarassale, courtesy Mirazur.

INTERIORS.English Interior Designer Veere Grenney –Seeking Beauty. PhotoFrancesco Lagnese, courtesy Vendome Press.

Valletta’s Own CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE. PhotoIkona Artworks, courtesy Valletta Concours.

LA DOLCE VITA. Paradise in Mexico –Maroma. Photo © Belmond / Riley Harper.

351. MAY 2024]

7

LA DOLCE VITA.

Where Jungle Meets Sea. Paradise in Mexico –Maroma.

16

INTERIORS

English Interior Designer

Veere Grenney –Seeking Beauty.

26

FRAGRANCE

A Philosophy of Scent –Part 2. The Importance of Flowers.

A look at Chanel N°5 Eau Première and N°5 L’Eau.

32 CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

Art Meets Arts.

Valletta’s own Concours d’Elegance.

46

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Roberta Metsola, European Parliament President.

Flying Malta’s Flag Across the Globe.

51

ART & COLLECTIBLES

Ecce Homo.

A RediscoveredCaravaggio.

54

MELITENSIA

MARBLE, LIGHTING AND RESTORATION

Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. MALTABIENNALE 2024 SPECIAL OPENING

Church of Our Lady of Pilar. FONDAZZJONI PATRIMONJU MALTI Curious Beauty:An Alternative Costume Exhibition.

74

GASTRONOMY

A Restaurant Between Heaven & Earth. Mirazur, on the French Riviera.

82

DRINKS

Icon of Evolution. Campari, Negroni and More.

86

SUSTAINABILITY

World Environment Day and World Ocean’s Day.

92

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Diabetes and Dementia. The Link Between Dementia and Hearing Loss. Prioritising Employee Wellbeing with Proactive Strategies.

98 BEAUTY

CHANEL Hydra Beauty. Micro Lip Serum.

ART & COLLECTIBLES. Rediscovered Caravaggio. Ecce Homo (detail), after restoration, Caravaggio. Image courtesy of the private collection.

MELITENSIA. Church of Our Lady of Pilar. Photo courtesy Heritage Malta.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT. Roberta Metsola. Being Maltese is my superpower. Photo Rene Rossignaud.

“The mere thought of looking out the window at Mexico –which was now something else in my mind—was like recoiling from some gloriously riddled glittering treasurebox that you’re afraid to look at because of your eyes, they bend inward, the riches and the treasures are too much to take all at once.”

Jack Kerouac, On the Road

WHERE JUNGLE MEETS SEA MAROMA,

A BELMOND HOTEL

In the mid 1970’s when Mexican architect Jose Luis Moreno arrived in Cancún from Mexico City there were few hotels in the area, and the terminal of the airport still had a thatched roof. Moreno fell in love with the Riviera Maya and Punta Maroma, a remote bay located 25 miles south of Cancun’s airport, and eventually built a home for himself between the jungle and sea, and over the years added rooms and suites to accommodate his friends and family. Never using blueprints, he instead opted for free-flowing designs sketched into the sand. In this way Maroma was born as the first hotel in the Riviera Maya, using the best of local Mexican craft and materials – including palm, bamboo and stone quarried in Mérida (the Yucatán’s old Hispanic capital) – and established itself as the heart of this magical coastal stretch. Photography courtesy Belmond.

This page: A pathway through lush palms leads to the beach. Photograph © Belmond / Edgardo Contreras.

PARADISE IN MEXICO – RIVIERA MAYA

LA DOLCE VITA

In the summer of 2023 the Riviera Maya’s most storied hideaway, Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, reopened after a complete renovation led by acclaimed designer Tara Bernerd. Set amongst 200 acres of lush tropical jungle and the secluded white sands of Mexico’s Caribbean coast, Maroma’s new look was carefully reimagined with Mayan design, traditions, and culture at the forefront.

While enhancing the original architecture of Maroma, whose white stucco buildings are aligned to the Sacred Geometry of Mayan masonry, Tara Bernerd and her team honoured Mexican heritage, and hand-selected local artisans to work in collaboration with to showcase the extraordinary range of pan-Mexican art and design, with each piece of furniture and décor carefully designed by Bernerd exclusively for Maroma. Indeed 80% of furnishings and objects are handcrafted in Mexico like ceramicist José Noé Suro, who in collaboration with Bernerd and her team, crafted over 700,000 hand-painted Jalisco clay tiles for the guestrooms.

Top left: A beachside paradise set amongst 200 acres of lush tropical jungle. Photograph © Belmond / Riley Harper. Top Right: Paddle boarding in the ocean. Photograph © Belmond / Riley Harper. Bottom left: Las Ranas Fountain at the centre of the Mayan-inspired courtyard positioned beside Maroma’s main lobby. Photograph © Belmond / Jenny Quicksall.

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Above: Bedroom views of the turquoise ocean and palapas. Photograph © Belmond / Riley Harper. Above right: The beautifully re-designed rooms and suites at Maroma honour Mexican artisanal traditions and authentic craftsmanship. Photograph © Belmond / Jenny Quicksall Below right: A relaxing bathtub and bathroom area in a Suite at Maroma. Photograph © Belmond / Edgardo Contreras.

LA DOLCE VITA

The reborn Maroma channels effortlessly chic, haciendastyle living. Curved lines, organic forms, and expansive views of the Caribbean Sea inspire a feeling of being aligned with nature. The property’s three pools have also been completely redesigned with Sukabumi tiles handmade from volcanic stone, in the same vibrant turquoise tones as the region’s many natural cenotes.

Each of the 72 rooms, suites, and villas are spread across Maroma’s private stretch of sand; many have stunning ocean views. The 10 new one- and two-bedroom beachfront suites offer unobstructed views and direct beach access, some with private pools and gardens. Those in search of more privacy can opt for the two-bedroom beachfront pool villas or the 3,939-square-foot Villa Maroma, with four bedrooms, a full kitchen, bar, spacious outdoor terrace, chaise lounges, and a private pool.

Top: The secluded white sands of Mexico’s Caribbean coast at Maroma. Photograph © Belmond / Edgardo Contreras. Below left: Mexican floor tiles, made exclusively for Maroma in the Bedroom Suites. Photograph © Belmond / Edgardo Contreras. Bottom right: Ocean View Junior Suite. Photograph © Belmond.

For Maroma Belmond has partnered with Michelin-star chef Curtis Stone to debut Woodend by Curtis Stone, the hotel’s signature restaurant. A celebration of the connection between sea and jungle, Woodend by Curtis Stone features seasonal dishes inspired by the farmers and fishermen whose ingredients are the heart and soul of the local fare, prepared using Curtis’ signature open-fire technique. Mexican-born Executive Chef Daniel Camacho also continues his legacy of celebrating his country’s rich culinary diversity at Casa Mayor. Sustainability is a central focus, with 90% of ingredients sourced from Mexico and almost half from the Yucatan peninsula. Bambuco bar offers a more casual affair, where seasonal herbal drinks made fresh from the garden are featured alongside an extensive collection of mezcal.

Following its much-anticipated return in Summer 2023, the hotel launched the brand-new biophilic Maroma Spa by Guerlain – a holistic wellness retreat with a menu of nature-focused treatments and immersive guest experiences including an onsite apothecary and Meliponario, housing the revered Melipona bee. This marks the very first spa by Guerlain in Latin America, and marries the French Maison’s wellness savoirfaire with a deep appreciation of nature and vitality offering a comprehensive menu of exclusive and innovative treatments that draw inspiration from Mayan culture, alongside a selection of rejuvenating experiences.

Above: Casa Mayor, where Mexican-born Executive Chef Daniel Camacho celebrates his country’s rich culinary diversity. Photograph © Belmond. Below: Lights floods in to the hotel interior. Photograph © Belmond.

From design and culinary to immersive experiences, every moment at Maroma is seamlessly intertwined into Mayan culture and traditions. Days can begin with a bike ride through the jungle before savouring the flavours of the Riviera Maya. The only luxury hotel in the Riviera Maya with a Starlight Tourism Certification by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, Maroma is the ideal spot for stargazing each night, where an astronomer will map out the Mayan constellations and share the integral role the night sky played in everyday life.

Maroma has a long history of working with local organisations and continues to collaborate with Fundacion Selva Maya and Mayahuum to protect the endangered Melipona bee, which is critical to the ecology of the Yucatan peninsula. Belmond will amplify its impact through its partnership with Guerlain. Initiatives include expanding resident hives and introducing Guerlain’s Bee School and “Women for Bees” initiatives into Yucatan communities. As part of the programme, Mayan women from local communities will raise bees in their respective communities to preserve traditional know-how and raise awareness of the ancient tradition. On property guests can sign up for workshops on the importance of the species’ survival and reap the medicinal and savory benefits through beecentric spa and culinary experiences.

When Mexican architect Jose Luis Moreno first arrived in Cancún in the mid 1970’s he fell in love with the Riviera Maya and built a home between the jungle and sea. Today this secluded hideaway continues to captivate with the sights, sounds, and scents of authentic Mexican culture –a place to feel alive and energised.

ABOUT BELMOND Belmond has been a pioneer of luxury travel for over 45 years, building a passion for authentic escapes into a portfolio of one-of-a-kind experiences in some of the world’s most inspiring destinations. Since the acquisition of the iconic Hotel Cipriani in Venice in 1976, Belmond has continued to perpetuate the legendary art of travel. Its portfolio extends across 24 countries with 50 remarkable properties that include the illustrious Venice Simplon-OrientExpress train, remote beach retreats like Cap Juluca in Anguilla, Italian hideaways such as Splendido in Portofino, or unrivalled gateways to world natural wonders such as Hotel das Cataratas inside Brazil’s Iguazu National Park.

Top left: Peaceful sea breezes grace the hotel exterior. Photograph © Belmond Left:

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This page: The Temple is Veere Grenney’s 18th–century Suffolk “pocket Palladian” set within the parkland of Tendring Hall and with views of the fishing lake.

REVERED ENGLISH INTERIOR DESIGNER VEERE GRENNEY WELCOMES US INTO HIS THREE SPECTACULAR HOMES

SEEKING BEAUTY VEERE GRENNEY

In VEERE GRENNEY: SEEKING BEAUTY, published by Vendome Press, world-renowned interior designer Veere Grenney takes us on an in-depth tour of his impressive residences in Tangier; Suffolk, England; and, for the first time, his new London home. The book begins with the Temple, his 18th-century Suffolk “pocket Palladian” set within the parkland of Tendring Hall and with views of the fishing lake and geranium-filled garden. Grenney called this picturesque sanctuary home for much of 2020. Next, with exclusive photographs and annotations, Grenney opens the doors for the very first time to his brand-new London home. Finally, Grenney welcomes us into his stunning Tangerine villa – a decade-long labour of love and must-see for all garden enthusiasts. This elegant volume showcases his skill in marrying traditional styles with contemporary living, and how his spectacular career has influenced the styling of his personal spaces

“I did not have to ask my heart what it wanted, Because of all the desires, I have ever known, Just one thing did I cling to, For it was the essence of all desire, To know beauty.”

St John of the Cross

Photography by Francesco Lagnese, courtesy Vendome Press

“At my home Gazebo in Tangier, I have built a wall in the orchard. About a metre wide and three metres high, it sits at the end of a long brick path that is flanked by slender almond trees, persimmon and bergamot, guava, peach, apple and pomegranate,” writes Veere Grenney in the book’s introduction. “The wall is made from Moroccan tiles and built by local craftsmen, using a technique called zellige. Around the edge, The Lord’s Prayer is written in Arabic and in the middle, there is a poem by St John of the Cross about the want for beauty.” (I did not have to ask my heart what it wanted, Because of all the desires, I have ever known, Just one thing did I cling to, For it was the essence of all desire, To know beauty. St John of the Cross.)

Above: Traditionally, Palladian villas never had great formal gardens. What you can see around The Temple is simply yew and hornbeam, lawn, an ancient oak tree. The rose gardens, dahlia beds and the glass –house are hidden so that they do not interrupt the pastoral ideal. Bottom: The heart of The Temple is the saloon or piano nobile. This room sits only nine feet off the ground; when you gaze out over the canal, you are tricked into thinking that the water is flowing right under the house.

Left: This kitchen is painted in the high-gloss vivid colour that I call chrome yellow and glazed in white Victorian tiles. Sitting here for coffee cannot fail to make you happy.” (Apartment – Chesil Court, Chelsea.) Above: The geometric carpet continues into my bedroom, where it echoes a four-and-a-half inch windowpane check fabric I designed for Schumacher. I had planned to line the walls with this cloth, but marrying the squares is difficult unless the room has perfect rectangular surfaces.

“H is words speak to me perhaps more profoundly than any others. Here, in the absolute heart of my garden, this poem is an omnipresent reminder that in my lifetime of designing houses I have dreamt beauty, thought beauty and practised beauty. I would like to think that eventually I have become more fluent in beauty and still I’m learning.”

Below left: Halfway up the Old Mountain in Tangier, my home Gazebo gazes down over a seemingly infinite stretch of brilliant blue, the meeting point of two oceans, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Below right: In the drawing room, the curved walls, columns, vaulted Soane-esque ceiling and golf ball cornicing create a classical effect. The upholstered walls are hung with pictures that share a quality of foreignness.

Above: My initial informing principle was that I knew I had to have an internal courtyard so that when the Sharqi wind came in from the east, there would be a still and sheltered place. And I loved the idea of a colonnade.

Below left: I used warm colours in the room we call the Indian Bedroom, ochre, ruby and chocolate brown. A quiet pink was mixed for the walls and I had them hand-stencilled at wainscot level. Below right: Overlooking the garden, Andalucian green and white olive bowls hang on the cloister wall, which is painted pinky brown.

“When I think back to my early childhood on South Island, New Zealand, I now see that I have always been driven by the fundamental urge to create order and corral objects into some sort of visual harmony. I didn’t recognise it as such at the time, but even as a very young child, I couldn’t put a cup, a plate, a pencil down on a table without needing to make it look absolutely perfect. That same impulse – the complete desire for beauty – has pervaded every single thing I have done since. It is the force that informs all I do professionally, whether I am designing an apartment in Tel Aviv, a country house in rural England, a beach house in Mustique or a ranch in Wyoming. In my own homes and in the homes of others, I have always looked to create a poetic and deeply pleasing marriage of geometry, comfort, decoration and grace, a marriage that results in a visual accord best described by that one same word, beauty.”

“Growing up, the thing I loved most was decorating the house with my mother who possessed a finely tuned aesthetic sensibility. I would seriously and meticulously rearrange the living room each time my family moved home, which thankfully, they did quite often. Even then, I instinctively adored houses and was entirely fascinated by every single aspect of them.”

“As a small boy, I remember pedalling my bike round and round the local streets, scrutinising every house in the neighbourhood and really studying them, especially fascinated by places that were midconstruction. At weekends I would cycle over to building sites when no one was around. I was gripped by how people lived in a building, the relationship of the sun to the house and where the light fell. I saw that interior design was about the way we lived; it was absolutely not an exercise in simply shopping, even at its most discerning. It was far more complex, layered and refined than that, about working with the light, the axes of a place. It was about the way you entered a room and the way you left. It was about where you placed furniture. I discovered that the connecting spaces were as important as the big spaces.”

“There are so many component parts to creating beautiful homes that will transcend the vagaries of fashion. There is real scholarship, years of experience, mistakes made and experiments conducted. There are the accumulated outside influences – the decorators who have gone before me. There is practice and more practice and the ineffable thing, something that issues up from the subconscious self, that is an expression of the spiritual, that makes itself manifest in myriad expressions of beauty.”

“My three homes most eloquently tell the story of who I am, my philosophy, what I have endeavoured to achieve and the lessons that I’ve absorbed over the years. The Temple is my Palladian folly in rural Suffolk. Chesil Court is my London home, a condensed and cosmopolitan rendering of my favourite design tropes or principles. And then there is the icon, Gazebo in Tangier, which I think is the acme of my creative powers and the culmination of a life’s work in the business of understanding, knowing and making beauty. Each place is a summation of forty years spent honing my skills. And each one, I hope, offers up an instance of beauty, an experience of integrity, order and harmony.”

Top right: Vertical stripes and hanging fabric create an exotic tent-like feel for this bedroom. Right: I design all my outdoor furniture to be charming and light on the eye. The grey and white echoes the ultra-chic grey-and-white-striped roof of the gazebo.

Above: The bed was found in the Medina and is originally from Spain. The different reds from the Moroccan rugs and the tiles, the pinks of the pomegranate fabric and the brown ceiling all create a warmth and intensity here. Below: The red and white bejmat tiles used in the studio room are made locally from natural clay and enamel-glazed for a soft sheen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

With more than 30 years of experience, VEERE GRENNEY remains a frontrunner of interior and fabric design, collecting accolades from House & Garden and Architectural Digest, among other publications. After training under the exceptional Mary Fox Linton and David Hicks, Grenney soon became a director at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, developing an appreciation for quality materials. He established his own company in London 20 years ago and continues to build upon an impressive global portfolio.

FRANCESCO LAGNESE is an internationally acclaimed interiors and architecture photographer whose work appears regularly in such publications as Veranda, Elle Decor, Galerie Magazine, Icon Design, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, and Town & Country. His books include Tom Scheerer Decorates, Tom Scheerer: More Decorating, and Pietro Cicognani: Architecture and Design. He lives in Germany.

TREE SHERRIFF is a contributing editor at World of Interiors. She was educated at Oxford University, has written for television and is working on her first novel. She lives on a farm in Oxfordshire, England, with her husband and four children.

VEERE GRENNEY: SEEKING BEAUTY byVeere Grenney. Photography by Francesco Lagnese. Published by Vendome Press. Hardcover with jacket. 200 colour illustrations, 304pages.

A PHILOSOPHY OF SCENT. PART 2.

The Importance of Flowers

A look at Chanel N°5 Eau Première and N°5 L’Eau

The history of our evolution and cultural development is intimately intertwined with the discovery and usage of perfume. The appreciation of scent is part and parcel of our being, but with humans in so far as we consider ourselves creatures of cult and culture (ritual or otherwise); scent is a central notion of our appreciation of this world, over and above its importance for survival and procurement of food. The sense of smell is a means of understanding and perceiving and within that scope; scent both of others and of things is as much a means of communication, more so when encapsulated in the ampoules of concentration and application of perfume. We wear scent to adorn ourselves ritually or as a source of pleasure, but we equally do so to communicate, seduce or even enthral who and how we wish to be perceived and identified, writes Kris Bonavita.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CHANEL.

The sense of smell is primordially one of the first senses we evolutionarily developed, and this is not just the case of us being part of the animal kingdom, but equally as intelligent humans the sense of smell is intimately connected to our own complex neural and emotive development from beyond the womb right through to the grave. Scents and their olfactory sense have memories in our eyes laced with emotion, knowledge and a dose of mysticism that at certain points in our life provide an epiphany or element of awe and wonderment of the world around us; if not to say of our own existence and equally go above and beyond the immediate or present state of affairs to add an extra dimension to all our other senses in a synaesthesic way. In a sum greater than its parts, scent and the olfactory world give us a notion or feeling beyond the physical or emotional to transcend the habitual or the mundane into something far more spectacular, cathartic and even sometimes ecstatic. A glimpse of the metaphysical so to speak.

It is not without reason that perfume holds its thrall as one of the complex and beautiful works of culture and art we consider dear to us and within that setting as ephemeral or transient and superficial as this may be, it equally holds us in raptures in giving us a sense of the divine, the mystical within or around us.

Flowers and meadows may conjure up distant memories of freedom, safety and solace imprinted in our evolutionary DNA. They may be seen as beautiful in scent, shape and colour just for the fact that we objectively see them to be so. As short lived and in passing as flowers may be we somehow identify with their benevolent fragility subject to the ruin of time. They are perhaps symbolic of our own passing journey through this world as poetically as we wish that to be the case.

Perfume drawn from the raw materials of the natural

world is made up of flowers in their crystallized and concentrated form and likewise is not far off in evoking feelings of nostalgic beauty and the finitude of things or of life itself. Something of the nature of the arrestation of the apex of beauty of a flower in time or capture of a scent in a perfume gives us a glimpse of infinity in its own right, something we may aspire to or hope for and in a leap of faith a discourse with our Creator should we wish or believe that to be so. We are neither the first nor the last to say things with flowers, and perfume is a sophisticated way of doing so in poetic gesture.

For what is a flower if not a quantum of beauty in its own right. Nothing can be added or subtracted, anything added does not enhance or alter its intrinsic beauty; anything subtracted just accentuates what was there all along as the perfect creature. As such if you attach or remove a petal; a flower still remains the most perfect flower and yet so different and so alike to any other myriad flowers. Thus, in perfume the essence of a flower is held in lifted abeyance or ecstatically transposed for an eternity of sorts, a taste of the heavenly. (The ecstatic transposition of the seemingly instant and minutely contained to the unseemingly boundless and infinite. An esoteric translation of the sublime as it were.) If love were in need of a language it would be flowers; a universal measure by which everything else can be held up to; and perfume internalizes and intensifies this dialectic, an urbane answer to raw and wild nature.

This should not be lost to us and indeed the mesmerisation of the simple is an important stepping stone in our coming of age of identity and self realisation. Just know that in perceiving a scent or perfume we do not just change how we see the world or ourselves; but equally we change ourselves and in turn the world, whether we choose to believe this or not.

Facing page: In 2008, Jacques Polge released a fourth version of N°5, one that was airy and luminous. The perfumer tried to imagine how N°5 would have smelled if Ernest Beaux had had access to a range of contemporary raw materials at the time of its creation. Photograph courtesy CHANEL.

“For what is a flower if not a quantum of beauty in its own right.”

CHANEL N°5’S MORE RECENT CREATIONS

Chanel N°5 is presented today in five expressions, the Parfum, the Eau de Toilette, the Eau de Parfum, and with an innovative new twist here we throw light on N°5 Eau Première and N°5 L’Eau.

Following in the footsteps of the original perfumer Ernest Beaux of the legendary N°5, Jacques Polge in 2008 decided to reinterpret the fragrance in a decidedly worthy tribute to the original with the creation of Eau Première. More floral in nature yet equally abstract as the L’Eau, Eau Première is a mind wrapping heady confection of fresh decadent Ylang-Ylang flowers harmonized by the golden duo of May Rose and Jasmine; all held together by the architectural and sculptural strengths of the aldehydes for freshness, purity and sheer verve or delightful cool energy. Warm comforting tones of sweet vanilla and powdery musk ensure a lingering elegant sillage or trail, with enough luminosity and miasmic presence to ritualize both the experience of wearing and enjoying the perfume. This is a touch more opulent than the L’Eau per se with an equally generous handling of the floral notes without losing sight of the complex array of cooler or subtler aldehydes, citrus scents, wood tones and sweet spice to complement and ultimately enhance the floral symphony.

Following Coco Chanel’s perfume revolution with the invention of N°5 in 1921, the House Perfumer Creator Olivier Polge decided once again in 2016 to reinterpret the original recipe with a new expression or interpretation of the classic perfume.

Looking at each ingredient with an eye to freshness and balance, L’Eau came to being as a vibrant abstract floral creation or recreation of the original. In the House’s own words "radiant citrus top notes soar with aldehydes, followed by a floral whirlwind of Jasmine, Rose and Ylang-Ylang, and then the dynamic liveliness of Vetiver and Cedar."

L’Eau is ‘the N°5 of today’ without however upstaging the original classic. Loyal to the themes of purity, clarity and exuberant sophistication L’Eau keeps alive the sheer abstract scent of flowers at the heart of its being but beautifully enwrapped in rapacious waves of signature citrus notes fully alive, fresh, open to interpretation, and vibrantly young. Bittersweet orange, lemon, mandarin all have their place before the powdery more familiar signature floral notes of the classic scent make their mark. Rushing aldehydes beckon the tinged Nordic wintry mystic sultriness, yet within their bearing are brooding secondary depths of woodier vetiver, cedar and soft white musks to add a further dimension of ingenuity, precision and ultimately gorgeous olfactory beauty.

A modicum of unbearable lightness of being ensures that you can apply as little or as much L’Eau as your temperament, mood or occasion, with different textures or highlights of the perfume becoming more prominent depending on the climate, season, time of day and even place. This is the ultimate strikingly avant-garde all-rounder with as close as one could hope for a bouquet of fresh flowers within your midst. Both perfumes do justice and offer unique interpretations on the original now and forever N°5 Parfum. And in some ways, they throw light and help us appreciate the original with an added sense of awe and bemusement.

Facing page: In 2016, Olivier Polge created a new variation, guided by a desire for freshness. “I wanted to play with the limits of its identity,” the perfumer reveals. “Take the image that N°5 conveys and turn it on its head, make it more fluid. More transparent, in the best sense of the word.” To this end, he based his composition around cedarwood, which underscores a textured scent trail that is less enveloping than the other interpretations. Photograph courtesy CHANEL.

CHANEL is distributed by Alfred Gera & Sons Ltd.

“Pure blood, absolute clarity, predominance of purpose, immaculate shape.”

Ettore Bugatti, on his philosophy for Bugatti cars

VALLETTA’S OWN CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE ART MEETS ART

The Valletta Concours, born out of a collective love for Art, Valletta, Vintage and Classic Cars and their preservation as well as their enjoyment, will again be holding its annual staple event in St George’s Square, during the last week of May till Sunday 2nd June. Once again, we plan to make Valletta proud by merging an Art Exhibition, The Art in Classic Cars, and The Baroque Architecture Surroundings in front of the Grand Master’s Palace, writes event organiser John Saliba.

Photography Ikona Artworks, courtesy Valletta Concours.

The standards reached by the organisers of this distinctive Concours are new to Malta, where the Artistic Engineering in vintage and classic cars is showcased amongst the Art in Baroque Architecture surrounding Valletta’s main square. Merged with this classic car event is a Collective Art Exhibition with ‘Valletta and Classic Cars’ as the theme.

This year’s week-long Collective Art Exhibition by sixteen local and foreign artists will feature artistic images portraying several localities of Valletta and Cars. They will be displaying their best works at Saint Dominic Hall, in Kings Own Club in Republic Street Valletta. The highlight of this exhibition which will be opening its doors on Saturday 25th May, will be on Sunday 2nd of June when considerable numbers will be entering Valletta to see the Classic Car Concours d’Elegance and the Exhibition. Several Artists will also be taking part in a Live Painting Competition to take place during the Concours d’Elegance.

CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

Sixty-five of the finest treasured vintage and classic cars will be set within the walls of the city of Valletta to create this unique event with Valletta itself being a unique 16th-century baroque icon. At the same time, these cars will be competing in various Classes for their elegance, historical past, and authenticity. Participation of this sizable number of both local and foreign participants will be presenting a distinctive event that will blend automotive craftsmanship and design across several decades with a passion of classic car ownership. Foreign classic car collectors will also drive their classic car into St Georges Square on Sunday 2nd June.

CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

The Valletta Concours, today known as ‘The Concours of the Mediterranean’ amongst Classic Car collectors, not only succeeded to reach certain international standards, but managed to get nominated for its 2022 Concours

d’Elegance as one of five finalist nominees for a ‘Rising Star Event’ award at the Historic Motoring Awards 2022 held in London by OCTANE, and even more successful in 2023, when last year’s Concours d’Elegance was shortlisted as one of five nominees for the ‘World Best Concours d Elegance’ Award.

CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

At Valletta Concours, the organisers have managed to raise the bar of locally restored classic and vintage cars, whom after winning at Valletta Concours, headed overseas, to win best awards at top international Concours d’Elegance events of the like of the Pebble Beach Concours and Cars at the Palace Concours in the Netherlands.

Year after year, the organisers manage to attract not only top world-renowned classic car collectors but also attract a team of world motoring connoisseurs led by Chief Judge Mr Jeremy JacksonSytner who will lead his international twenty-strong jury into St George’s Square.

A remarkable Jury Panel comprised of International industry iconic designers and automotive connoisseurs who with their expertise and discerning eye, select the most outstanding automobiles. With their wealth of knowledge and passion for automotive excellence, ensure a fair and objective evaluation process thus adding prestige to Valletta Concours.

The Judging Panel will focus primarily on originality and authenticity as well as attention to detail, design and styling amongst others. The state of preservation of vintage and classic cars is also being given important attention and thus the Preservation Class.

This year the entrant cars will be participating in several categories, namely: Elegance Class, Pre-war Class, Post-war Class, Jaguar Class, Porsche Class, Preservation Class,

Popular Classic Class, Sports Car Class, and Super Car Class. New classes for this year are the Classic Motorcycle Class and the Classic Pedal Car Class. For 2024 VALLETTA CONCOURS will be commemorating 120 years of Rolls Royce and an award in this regard will be presented. The winners of each of the above categories will then vie for the prestigious title of ‘Best in Show’ and the Judging Team will then decide which category winner deserves this title and the Runner Up for this award.

Members of the General Public who do not own a classic car, but love Art, History, and Retro Clothing can also participate in this prestigious Concours by competing for the Best Retro Clothing Competition and registering on the day of the Concours to have their clothing judged.

VALLETTA CONCOURS, 2nd June 2024 – St. George’s Square, Republic Street, Valletta. Web: www.vallettaconcours.com, Facebook vltconcours, Contact – Mob: 0356 99805528 –John Saliba.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT

Roberta Metsola

Flying Malta’s Flag across the globe

Roberta Metsola’s energy is contagious –a peek at her Instagram stories can become addictive as they delve into her life –one day she’s in Berlin discussing European affairs with her friend Angela Merkel and encouraging university students to vote, the next day she's in Kyiv accepting the Order of Merit from the President of Ukraine, and the day after that meeting with people in local coffee shops and market squares across Malta and Gozo. So what it is like to be the first Maltese person to occupy one of the highest positions in the European Union? How does she manage? Roberta Metsola discusses life, work, politics and parenthood, and how far Malta has come –as a country, as a people –since joining the European Union.

Main photography Rene Rossignaud and Daina Le Lardic.

Above: Roberta with her husband Ukko and their sons Marc, Alec, Kristian and Luca.

Left: Official visit by Roberta Metsola, EP President to Malta. Photo Daina Le Lardic © European Union 2024. Source: EP.

She laughs disarmingly as her cappuccino comes close to spilling over. “There’s no magic formula. It’s a struggle every morning to drag the boys to school, to make sure they’ve done their homework or get to football on time. Having a very supportive husband is certainly a big factor, he’s great and understands that the role I occupy is in a sense bigger than me. We try to instil a sense of service to our boys, and while some of them may be too young to understand, I hope they look back and are proud of their mother. I hope they grow up to see politics as a force for good in our communities.

Ultimately, that is what drives me to keep flying Malta’s flag high. That, and the faith and trust that Maltese and Gozitans have kept putting in me. It is a responsibility that I will keep working hard at every day to repay.

My family does not have a background in politics. I can still remember the look of trepidation (and a little pride) on my parents’ faces when I told them mid-way through my University studies that I would be running for the first European elections in Malta.

They were concerned, of course. I had little political support.

But what I did have was a lot of belief. Belief in all the opportunities that the European Union could give to our country.

Belief in Malta’s potential to shape its own destiny and that of Europe. It is this belief that has led my campaign across Europe for the past six months, to convince people –especially young people – to make their voices heard in these elections. How every single person, every single vote matters.” I believe in Europe and I believe in Malta’s place within it. In our power to change lives and shape the future – as much now as I did back then. Politics did not dampen my passion for change. It lit a fire under it. And as President of the European Parliament, I have made it my mission to do all that I can, to speak to and convince as many people as possible that politics is still the best catalyst for positive change.”

“It is not always easy and something which is made even more difficult when there are those who use politics to push forward a narrative of hate and division.

Two of my children are old enough to see the billboards and online campaign that the Government has waged against their mother. I spoke to them about it, they worry of course, but they also think it is a terrible political strategy. And I think they are right, young people are turned off by the vicious negative campaign that the Prime Minister

represents. They don’t understand the hate, and their friends will certainly not vote for it.

The younger generation reject the hyper-partisanship that the Government has promoted. They are fed-up of all the negative campaigning, the hysteria, the mudslinging and misogyny that are part of the government’s political arsenal. They demand better. And they deserve better.

The basic building block of what I stand for is that the politics of hope will always beat the politics of hate. This is what has inspired my political campaign from the start.”

Above: French President Emmanuel Macron and Roberta Metsola, EP President. Photo Daina Le Lardic © European Union 2024. Source: EP.

“We are a proud nation, a people of iron will who have overcome challenge after challenge. When I was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the European Parliament just under two and half years ago, it was precisely because of who I am and where I come from – and not in spite of them. Being Maltese is my superpower. Our special advantage that make us unique in Europe – unique in the world. We believe, we dialogue, we compromise, and we get stuff done. That is how we move forward as a country. And how we, Maltese, move Europe forward too.”

“We are a proud nation, a people of iron will who have overcome challenge after challenge. When I was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the European Parliament just under two and half years ago, it was precisely because of who I am and where I come from – and not in spite of them. Being Maltese is my superpower. Our special advantage that make us unique in Europe – unique in the world. We believe, we dialogue, we compromise, and we get stuff done. That is how we move forward as a country. And how we, Maltese, move Europe forward too.

There was a time when people only seemed to think of fraud, corruption and money laundering when talking about our beautiful country. But being President of the European Parliament has meant that I am able to fly Malta’s flag alongside the EU’s wherever I go. It

has given our country a visibility on the world stage that I am so proud to represent.”

“Malta has come far – as a country, as a people – since joining the European Union. But I know we can do more. More for Malta and Gozo, more for Europe. More to make our shared space better, fairer, safer, and equal for all Europeans. A Europe that makes people believe. That recaptures the hope and enthusiasm we all felt 20 years ago.

To me, Europe has always represented the future. Possibility. Change and the politics of hope. That is why when on the 8th of June I turn to the people of Malta and Gozo to once again place their trust in me, it will again be this kind of politics I promise to pursue.”

“Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”

John 19:5

SINCE ITS REAPPEARANCE AT AUCTION THREE YEARS AGO, CARAVAGGIO’S ECCE HOMO HAS REPRESENTED ONE OF THE GREATEST DISCOVERIES IN THE HISTORY OF ART

rediscovered Caravaggio

Painted by the great Italian artist around 1605-09 and believed to have once been part of the private collection of Phillip IV of Spain, the painting is one of around only 60 known works by Caravaggio in existence, and thus one of the most valuable old master artworks in the world. In April 2021, the Prado Museum alerted Spain’s Ministry of Culture of the relevance of the painting when it reemerged at Ansorena auction house attributed to a pupil of the 17th-century Spanish painter, José de Ribera. The painting was due to be auctioned with a guide price of just 1,500 euro! Since then the work has been under the custodianship of the art gallery Colnaghi in collaboration with experts and has been restored. The Prado Museum will unveil the work on 28 May for a special one-piece exhibition, on display until October 2024.

Photography courtesy Private Collection, via Prado Museum.

This page: DETAIL –Ecce Homo (after the restoration), Michelangelo Merisi (known as Caravaggio).

on canvas, 111 x 86cm, 1605-09. Image courtesy of the private collection.

Painted by the great Italian artist around 1605-09 and believed to have once been part of the private collection of Phillip IV of Spain, Ecce Homo is one of around only 60 known works by Caravaggio in existence, and thus one of the most valuable old master artworks in the world.

Since the Prado Museum alerted Spain’s Ministry of Culture of the relevance of the painting when it reemerged at Ansorena auction house in April 2021 attributed to a pupil of José de Ribera – with a suggested sale price of just 1,500 euro(when a painting described as a lost Caravaggio masterpiece – Judith Beheading Holofernes –went up for auction in France in 2019 it was snapped up by a foreign buyer –that painting was said to be worth between €100m and €150m), Ecce Homo has been under the custodianship of the art gallery Colnaghi, in collaboration with Filippo Benappi (Benappi Fine Art) and Andrea Lullo (Lullo Pampoulides). The painting was restored by specialist Andrea Cipriani and his team under the supervision of experts from the Comunidad de Madrid regional government. Since its reappearance at auction three years ago, Ecce Homo has represented one of the greatest discoveries in the history of art, inspiring an unprecedented speed of consensus around its authentication. Following an in-depth diagnostic investigation by Claudio Falcucci – a nuclear engineer specialising in applying

scientific techniques to the study and conservation of cultural heritage – restoration has been carried out in an informed and rigorous manner, allowing each decision to be based on an exhaustive assessment of the work’s constituent materials, their specific alteration processes, and the painting’s conservation history, reaffirming this initial attribution to the Italian master.

The expressive oil on canvas depicts the art historical motif of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate presenting Christ to the people, with the words “Ecce homo!” (“Behold the man”) – one of the most dramatic moments of the Passion, recorded in the Gospel of John (19:5).

In the last hundred years, no artist more than Caravaggio, with his adventurous biography and unmistakable style, has fascinated audiences of all ages and engaged scholars from halfway around the world.The work is a powerful example of Caravaggio’s mastery of conception: a skilful composition presenting a three-dimensional and dynamic scene that is entirely innovative, yet within the confines of an established iconographic tradition.

The Museo Nacional del Prado and Colnaghi are honoured to announce the loan of Caravaggio’s masterpiece Ecce Homo to the Spanish national museum in Madrid, on behalf of the painting’s new owner. The Prado Museum will unveil the work on 28 May for a special one-piece exhibition, on display until October 2024.

Above: Ecce Homo (after the restoration), Michelangelo Merisi (known as Caravaggio). Oil on canvas, 111 x 86cm, 1605-09. Image courtesy of the private collection.

MARBLE, LIGHTING AND RESTORATION

BASILICA OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL VALLETTA

The Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, situated on Old Theatre Street in Valletta, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that encompasses the entire city. The current church was built between 1958 and 1981, replacing a late 16th-century church that was destroyed during World War II. Its impressive 42-metre high oval dome is a prominent feature of the Valletta skyline, facing Marsamxett, making it the tallest building in Valletta and the second-highest dome in the Maltese Islands. In 2017, plans were announced to install marble paving to replace the rough concrete flooring, and in 2018, 60 years after the new church’s foundation stone was laid, it was finally consecrated. Most recently, in 2020, a new lighting system for the dome was inaugurated, featuring 139 LED lights designed specifically for the dome and roof, creating a magical effect over the skyline.

This page: The Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s magnificent 42-metre high oval dome stands as the tallest building in Valletta and the second-highest dome in the Maltese Islands. Photo Harm Joris ten Napel, Wikipedia Commons.

broader restoration effort led

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or the Virgin of Carmel, is revered as the patroness of the Carmelite Order. The origins of the Carmelites trace back to Christian hermits residing on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The Carmelite Order established a presence in Malta in the early 1400s and built a church and convent in Valletta shortly after the city’s founding in 1566. Architect Girolamo Cassar was tasked with the design and build, and after nearly

38 years of construction, the church was completed in 1608.

In 1852, the church was transformed with a new façade designed Giuseppe Bonavia, and by 1895, Pope Leo XIII elevated the church's status to that of a minor basilica.

Tragedy struck on 4th March 1942, when the church suffered severe damage during a World War II bombardment. The Carmelite friars decided to demolish the remains and build a new church, salvaging and incorporating many of the old church’s contents. Architect Ġużè Damato designed

the new structure, with construction beginning on 30th April 1958, when the foundation stone was blessed by the Prior General.

The building was completed 23 years later, on 15th June 1981. Its magnificent 42-metre high oval dome stands as the tallest building in Valletta and the second-highest dome in the Maltese Islands, offering a striking presence in the city’s skyline facing Marsamxett. Inside, the church features red marble columns and an interior sculpted by Joseph Damato over 19 years.

Above: In 2020, the basilica’s dome was enhanced when a new lighting system for the dome was inaugurated featuring 139 LED lights. This installation was part of a

by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation. Photo Jason Borg, courtesy DOI. Below left: The 42-metre high dome of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel transforms into a floodlit jewel by night. Photo Marika Caruana, Wikipedia Commons.

Lombard Bank Malta p.l.c.

In 2017, plans were unveiled to replace the rough concrete flooring with intricate marble paving. By 2018, 60 years after the foundation stone of the new church was laid, this vision was realized. In just six months and with nearly half a million euro invested, thousands of pieces of marble were laid, featuring designs that include an emblem of the Basilica, the Carmelite Order, and Pope Leo XIII who gave the title of Basilica to the church. Mary is symbolised in the centre with twelve the rays that cover the twelve columns. Much of the marble was sourced from Carrara and Siena, with the finest white marble used for the centre emblem sourced from Brazil.

The Basilica’s journey towards completion culminated in its consecration in 2018, following the installation of the marble flooring. This milestone allowed the church to finally be consecrated, closing a milestone in its history.

In 2020, the basilica’s dome was enhanced when a new lighting system for the dome was inaugurated featuring 139 LED lights, creating a captivating night-time effect over the skyline. This installation was part of a broader restoration effort led by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, which also included external cupola restoration of the basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and work at Our Lady of Pilar Church and St. Augustine Church in Valletta.

Today, more than 400 years since the original church’s completion in 1608 and nearly 43 years since the new building’s completion on June 15, 1981, the 42-metre high dome of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel remains a dominant feature of Valletta’s skyline, transforming into a floodlit jewel by night.

Above: In 2017, plans were unveiled to replace the rough concrete flooring with intricate marble paving. By 2018, 60 years after the foundation stone of the new church was laid, this vision was realized. In just six months and with nearly half a million euro invested, thousands of pieces of marble were laid. Photos Bärwinkel Klaus, Wikipedia Commons. Left: Inside, the church features red marble columns and an interior sculpted by Joseph Damato over 19 years. Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Altar, photo Georg Karl Ell, Wikipedia Commons.

Over the years, the processional statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has undergone multiple overpainting and repairs, and the most recent analysis by Atelier del Restauro Ltd identified the original pigments and also the top layers of more recent interventions. The restoration brought the statue closer to its 18th-century appearance, unveiling its original baroque beauty and freshness which had been distorted over the years. Top left images: Before restoration. Top right images: After restoration.

RESTORATION

The Confraternity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta, founded on February 13th 1622, celebrated its fourth centenary in 2022. As part of the celebrations, the Confraternity restored its Oratory in Old Theatre Street Valletta including the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the oldest processional statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Malta. Recent research by Dr Sandro Debono attributes the statue to Pietro Paolo Troisi, a local artist and Master of the Mint of the Knights of Malta, who was active in the Confraternity from 1713 until his death in 1743.

Stylistically, the statue aligns with the iconography established by the leading Maltese Baroque sculptor Melchiorre Gafà in 1660, where Our Lady directly presents an item to the beholder, offering her protection and

that of her Son. The statue, analyzed through x-radiography, revealed that the wood dated to around 1441, suggesting it was repurposed from older sources.

Over the years, the statue has undergone multiple overpainting and repairs. The most recent conservation and restoration work by Atelier del Restauro Ltd, which included scientific analysis (Scanning Electron Microscopy –SEM, and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy – EDS, which allows for targeted analysis of sample surfaces), identified original pigments and revealed layers of more recent interventions. The restoration brought the statue closer to its 18thcentury appearance, unveiling its original baroque beauty and confirming it as a masterpiece of Maltese art.

Photography this page courtesy Atelier del Restauro Ltd.

The Statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

R ESTORATION &C ONSERVATION O F A RT

stablished in 2012, Atelier del Restauro Ltd, directed by Valentina Lupo, is a leading conservation and restoration company founded by a team of Maltese and Italian conservators. Our specialization lies in the meticulous conservation and restoration of invaluable works of art. Our unique advantage in the field of art conservation stems from the fusion of our extensive expertise and experiences, strengthened by collaborative ventures with local and international institutions. Over the years, we have proudly undertaken numerous projects of national significance, leaving a mark on Malta's cultural legacy. Our commitment to a scientific approach guarantees that every project is executed with precision and the utmost attention to detail.

CONSERVATION & RESTORATION

Our specialty encompasses the preservation and restoration of a wide range of art forms, including canvas, panel, and wall paintings, watercolours, textiles, books and paper, gilded objects, frames, polychrome sculptures, and wood. The company has treated works of art by artists such as Francesco Zahra, Giuseppe Cali, Stefano Erardi, Mattia Preti, Antoine Favray, Giuseppe D’Arena, Filippo Paladini, Lazzaro Pisani, Girolamo Gianni, Emvin Cremona, Victor Pasmore, Harry Alden, Gabriel Caruana, and several others.

ANOXIA TREATMENT FOR INSECT DISINFESTATION

Safeguard your valuable artworks with our cutting-edge Anoxia treatment. Widely adopted by museums both locally and abroad, this safe, poison-free method effectively controls insect pests with 100% eradication. Anoxic disinfestation offers a risk-free solution for your collections, utilizing an inert treatment system that insects cannot resist. Protect

Atelier del Restauro Ltd

No B3, Midland Micro Enterprise Park, Burmarrad Road, Naxxar, NXR 6345, Malta.

Email: info@atelierdelrestauro.com

Tel: +356 7953 4766, +356 2709 9705

Facebook: atelierdelrestauromalta

During the anoxia treatment of an infested wooden polychrome statue.

your artworks and furniture with the most advanced and reliable insect control available.

Before, during and after, from the collection of the 17th century Passion of Christ paintings by Francesco Zahra, Casa Manresa collection property of the Archdiocese of Malta.

During the cleaning of the face of child Jesus, detail from the 19th century painting of the Holy Family by artist Lazzaro Pisani found inside the Parish Church of Siggiewi.

MALTABIENNALE 2024 SPECIAL OPENING

CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF PILAR

Constructed to elevate the souls of men and women to heaven, the 17th-century Church of Our Lady of Pilar was commissioned by the Spanish Knights to praise God and the Virgin Mary and inspire all those who entered it. In 2007 it was entrusted to Heritage Malta to ensure its upkeep and safeguard its future. Normally open by appointment and for special opening events, the Church is now open as part of Maltabiennale 2024, with special opening Monday to Sunday 10am to 6pm until May 31st.

Photography courtesy Heritage Malta.

This page: Just two years after being built, the Curch of Our Lady of Pilar was damaged by the earthquake of 1693. Resident architect and engineer Romano Carapecchia was entrusted with the task of remodelling the chapel. His distinct taste and talent is reflected in the genius with which he managed to

Above and below: The interior boasts high sculptural qualities and is adorned with various works of art. Of particular note is the altarpiece by Stefano Erardi, one of the leading artists in late seventeenth-century Malta. It depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary appearing to the Apostle James the Greater as he was praying by the banks of the river Ebro at Zaragoza. Tradition holds that in January 40 AD, while he was deep in prayer by the banks of the Ebro, the Mother of God appeared to him and gave a column of jasper and instructed him to build a church in her honour.

After Auberge d’Aragon was built, the need for a chapel to serve the langue was strongly felt, and some knights took up the mantle to sate their needs.Built in the 1670s the chapel quickly saw the burial of its most generous benefactor, the Bailiff Fra Inniquez de Ayerba in 1691, but only two years later, disaster struck the chapel as parts of it were damaged by the earthquake of 1693.

Under the patronage of Grandmaster Ramon Perellos y Roccaful, the church was built anew. Resident architect and engineer Romano Carapecchia was entrusted with the task of remodelling the chapel. His distinct taste and talent is reflected in the genius with which he managed to include all the features required by canon law in building new churches. Faced with the challenge of building a functional yet stylish building on land that was quite restrictive, he delivered greatly, leaving us today with a gem of High Baroque architecture.

The interior boasts high sculptural qualities and is adorned with various works of art. Of particular note is the altarpiece by Stefano Erardi, one of the leading artists in late seventeenth-century Malta. It

depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary appearing to the Apostle James the Greater as he was praying by the banks of the river Ebro at Zaragoza. Popularly known as Our Lady of the Pillar, this Spanish tradition enjoys a widespread and deep-rooted devotion in the Hispanic world and constitutes the main annual religious and cultural manifestation of the capital of Aragon, Zaragoza.

After the Knights Hospitallier left the island, the chapel and its treasures, including the titular painting by Stefano Erardi passed on to the state, as it remains till this day. Although no longer serving the Aragonese Knights, the chapel continued to play an important role in the community, having for years been both a place for the teaching of catholic doctrine, and a school run by the Franciscan Sisters of Valletta. In 2007 it was entrusted to Heritage Malta to ensure its upkeep and safeguard its future.

Tal-Pilar Church, 49 Triq Il-Punent, Valletta. Opening Times: As part of Maltabiennale 2024, special opening Monday to Sunday 10am to 6pm until May 31st. Normally open by appointment and for special opening events –check www.heritagemalta.org for updates.

Church of Our Lady of Pilar RESTORATION

In 2018, in just seven months, AX Construction’s restoration division brought the 17th-century Church of Our Lady of Pilar in Valletta back to its former glory. This ambitious project included the meticulous restoration of the main façade, all external facades, and the internal space of the main nave. However, the most intriguing aspect of the endeavour for the team was the careful revitalisation of the dome’s interior and the original ‘deffun’ on its exterior. ‘Deffun’, a traditional material of lime and powdered pottery, has lent the dome its distinctive reddish colour –a characteristic feature shared by many Maltese domes due to its historical waterproofing technique.

Denise Xuereb, Director of AX Construction takes pride in the project, highlighting its significance alongside other notable restoration endeavours such as works at the Valletta Waterfront, St John’s Co-Cathedral and the Jesuits’ Church Oratories. “This restoration project stands as a testament to AX Construction’s steady commitment to preserving Malta’s rich architectural heritage. It underscores our dedication to building a strong team of talented individuals capable of carrying out highquality restoration works on Malta’s stone heritage, ensuring our shared legacy can be cherished by both locals and visitors for generations to come.”

PALAZZO FALSON, MDINA

Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti Curious Beauty

Under the artistic direction of Caroline Tonna and Francesca Balzan (both former curators of Palazzo Falson), the exhibition Curious Beauty: An Alternative Costume Exhibition showcases historic costume and accessories from the State, Church and important private collections set in contemporary art installations against the backdrop of the beautifully evocative medieval Palazzo Falson. This exhibition is the latest in a series of temporary exhibitions held at Palazzo Falson through the years, with a special focus on the decorative arts. This is the biggest exhibition so far and the first to run through all of the museum rooms presenting antique costumes and accessories in a dialogue with the museum’s permanent collection, housed in period rooms. This unprecedented show is a unique encounter between antique artefacts and contemporary art.

Photography Lisa Attard and Inigo Taylor, courtesy Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti.

Photo Lisa Attard.

from the joie de vivre and art-filled life of

and presents precious historic artefacts in contemporary art installations which prize beauty and humour, presenting them in a quirky and unusual manner.

The

features more than 200 fashion items spanning from the 18th to the mid-20th century and many of the artefacts have been loaned from important private collections and are being shown in public for the first time.

Above: Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti's Curious Beauty: An Alternative Costume Exhibition takes its cue

Gollcher,

Photo Inigo Taylor.

Below:

exhibition

Photo Lisa Attard.

Palazzo Falson was the home of Olof Frederick Gollcher, a collector, artist and philanthropist, who filled his home with a vast collection of antiques ranging from furniture to silver, jewellery to paintings, antique books and family archives. The origins of the house date back to the Medieval period and the building is open to the public as a historic house museum.

When Michael Lowell, CEO of Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, envisioned a unique fashion exhibition he turned to Caroline Tonna and Francesca Balzan, former curators of Palazzo Falson, to help bring it to life. Fashion’s appeal is evident in the success of recent exhibitions globally, like the Alexander McQueen exhibitions at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as more recent shows like Gucci COSMOS, the House’s immersive archival exhibition travelling the world, and the Gabrielle ChanelFashion Manifesto exhibition at V&A. When presented as art fashion can transportvisitors to a nostalgic past whilealso generating new experiences.

Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti‘s temporary Curious Beauty: An Alternative Costume Exhibition takes its cue from the joie de vivre and artfilled life of Gollcher, and presents precious historic artefacts in contemporary art installations which prize beauty and humour, presenting them in a quirky and unusual manner.

This page: Photography Lisa Attard.

Photos Lisa Attard.

While previous exhibitions at Palazzo Falson were confined mainly to the Orientation Room of the museum and in general focused on decorative arts, this current exhibition is more expansive and extends throughout the palazzo, juxtaposing contemporary art with historical objects against the opulent backdrop of the museum’s richly adorned rooms.

The exhibition features more than 200 fashion items spanning from the 18th to the mid-20th century and many of the artefacts have been loaned from important private collections and are being shown in public for the first time.Other loans represent the very best exemplars of historic costume to be found in the State collection as well as the Cathedrals of Malta and Gozo. The exhibition includes bodices, period dresses, corsets, shoes,bags, hats and gloves, as well as waistcoats and glasses. Additionally, ecclesiastical mitres are showcased, emphasizing luxuriously finished fashion found in church vestments.

CURIOUS BEAUTY: AN ALTERNATIVE COSTUME

EXHIBITION at Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum in Mdina until 16th June 2024.Creative Director: Michael Lowell,Artistic Direction: Caroline Tonna and Francesca Balzan.A full programme of events and special tours will run throughout the duration of the exhibition. For more information: www.patrimonju.org

The exhibition extends throughout Palazzo Falson, juxtaposing contemporary art with historical objects against the opulent backdrop of the museum's richly adorned rooms. Top left and bottom left: Photography Lisa Attard. Above: Photo Inigo Taylor.

“Decoding nature through our senses, deciphering it and knowing it more, allows us to translate its language, to respect it and in doing so take care of and preserve it.”

Chef Mauro Colagreco

MENTON, ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA

A restaurant between HEAVEN & EARTH Mirazur

At the foot of the mountains overlooking the sea, a stone’s throw from Italian border post, a 1930s-era rotunda building housing the 3 Michelin star restaurant Mirazur enjoys an idyllic setting. It spreads over three levels on the hillside, surrounded by lush vegetation. The elegant, spacious and light-drenched dining room commands a panoramic view of the sky, the sea and the town of Menton through the large windows running all the way around. On the lower floor, the bar with a view of the glassed-in kitchen where the brigade is at work extends into a small terrace. Down a few steps, the orchard garden full of fragrant herbs and citrus, with all of its gardens, is a precious source of inspiration for Chef Mauro Colagreco when dreaming up his dishes.

Photography courtesy Mirazur.

This page: At the foot of the mountains overlooking the sea, a stone’s throw from Italian border post, a 1930s-era rotunda building housing the 3 Michelin star restaurant Mirazur enjoys an idyllic setting. Photograph © Matteo Carassale.

“More than ever, recent events have made us realise our vulnerability and the global impact of our lifestyles on the planet. During this time, Mirazur set about a more simplified approach, reconnecting and observing nature through new and appreciative eyes. This has dictated our actions and the direction we are now taking, inviting guests to experience a very particular sensory journey while listening to nature and connecting with the season around them,” says Chef Mauro Colagreco.

From his native Argentina to the French Riviera, Mauro’s passion has never waned. It is a journey strewn with travel, discovery, ambition, commitment and focus that has led him to the pinnacle of his craft. This daring and vision reflect a cuisine that is instinctive and generous, transcending season and region. Driven by the belief in hyper-local and hyperseasonality, he operates a close-circuit supply chain, harnessing the ingredients around him and forming indispensable relationships with his producers. Through the understanding he has honed with nature, he has become even more committed to environmental sustainability. A chef without borders, he strives for excellence while championing each ingredient in its simplest form.

Above: Mirazur spreads over three levels on the hillside, surrounded by lush vegetation. Photograph © Jovani Demetrie. Top right: From his native Argentina to the French Riviera, Chef Mauro Colagreco’s passion has never waned. Pictured here in the kitchen at Mirazur. Photograph © Matteo Carassale. Below left: Homard Vanille. Photograph © Matteo Carassale. Below right: Pigeonneau Posidonie Epeautre. Photograph © Matteo Carassale.

Top left: At Mirazur’s Jardin Rosmarino, one can find more than 150 plant species including 30 varieties of tomatoes, several varieties of wild plants, flowers and some fruit trees: orange trees, lemon trees, mandarin trees, grapefruit trees, medlar trees, almond trees, plum trees, peaches and grapes. Photograph © Matteo Carassale

Top right: Tarte Artichaut. Photograph © Matteo Carassale. Above: Ravioles Poulpes Poivrons. Photograph © Matteo Carassale.

Left: Mirazur’s Jardin Castillon, located just 11 km away from the restaurant, is a magnificent plot of land located in the middle of the mountains with beautiful olive trees and several fruit trees. Photograph © Rutger Pauw.

Based in the resort town of Menton, on the French Riviera, with his family since 2006, Mauro has created and developed Mirazur to be much more than a restaurant. A Mediterranean estate, it is a lifestyle and driving force that puts nature at its very core and one that is continuing to evolve. Forging his own path and with his wife Julia at his side, they have now established Mirazur as part of the garden and not the garden part of Mirazur. With breathtaking views from the mountainside, out over the Mediterranean Sea and the colourful city of Menton, Mirazur occupies a position of stunning elegance. The restaurant, combined with its terraces and herb and citrus gardens, offers guests a multi-sensory immersion in nature.

In 2019, Mirazur was awarded the ultimate 3 Michelin stars and the No.1 spot in the prestigious The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. This cemented the restaurant as not only one of the most outstanding dining destinations globally but also Mauro, one of its most respected and celebrated chefs. In 2020 Mirazur was the 1st restaurant in the world to receive the “Plastic-free” certification. Most recently, Mirazur was honoured with the “Best of the Best” Award, joining the ranks of former No.1 winners at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021.

When Mauro arrived at Mirazur, it was a magnificent 1930s rotunda building with little more than a collection of cliff-face vegetable gardens. Fate or chance brought the two together, and over the years, he has become more inspired by the location and how the perpetual motion of the sun, moon and stars have affected growth and harvest. This life cycle has evolved over the past 15 years from purely organic to 100% biodynamic production led by the Lunar calendar.

100% in biodynamic production, the now five hectares of vegetable gardens are at the core of the restaurant and its cuisine. Building on the original gardens, Mirazur has incorporated nearby orchard space into their growth production. Alongside the 39 tomato varieties, gardeners are busy reevaluating other forgotten crops while identifying the best land and soil for each species. The project, now named “Sanctuaries del Mirazur”, has developed into a year-round, open-air research workshop. The five gardens evolve at different heights, from the sea up to the mountains of the Alpes-Maritimes. The first garden consists of ornamental plants, lemon trees from Menton and aromatic herbs, which bloom at the foot of the restaurant, moving up to the middle of the mountain and the grounds in Castillon and passing through to the Rosmarino vegetable garden; they celebrate the myriad diversity of the region.

Above: “The restaurant is evolving, my cooking and understanding too. To get back to basics and be as close as possible to nature, you have to experience it, listen to it, understand it,” says Chef Mauro Colagreco.

Photograph © Philip Ducap. Below left: Fraises Rhubarbe Roquette. Photograph © Matteo Carassale.

Below right: Pollen Miel Dessert. Photograph © Matteo Carassale.

few

the chef’s gardens and on the site of the former Villa of the Belgian King

the Mirazur vegetable garden is a special place: on its beautiful terraces overlooking the sea, grows a large quantity of products that are used in Mirazur’s dishes preparation. Photographs (top left) © Matteo Carassale and (bottom left) © Jovani Demetrie. Above: The elegant, spacious and light-drenched dining room commands a panoramic view of the sky, the sea and the town of Menton through the large windows running all the way around.

Depending on their arrival, customers at Mirazur will be immersed in one of the four experiences: Root Universe, Leaf Universe, Flower Universe or Fruit Universe. Each guest will travel through a well-defined sensory journey centred around bold dishes, primarily sourced from the Mirazur gardens. These four universes are the common thread of each of the experiences and come together with the elements already present in the chef’s cuisine: seafood from local and responsible fishing; meat from selected farms; and ingredients from the region’s historical producers and market gardeners.

Mauro offers a totally unexpected cuisine, freed from the shackles of conformity. His cooking is masterful yet unrestrained, driven by an ethos of the exceptional is often found in simplicity. Although Mirazur makes full use of its vegetable gardens, Mauro and his kitchen continue to learn and respect the knowledge shared by the community and its farmers, fishermen and local market gardeners. “We sincerely wish to highlight our magnificent region and all its incredible players. Their know-how and products are essential to our profession. It is thanks to these human encounters and their passionate work that the chefs’ approach and understanding of this natural environment are so enlightened and reasoned.”

Today, at the head of several restaurants (London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Palm Beach, Buenos Aires, etc.) in which he shares his deep convictions, and driven by his desire to learn and progress, Mauro Colagreco pursues his dreams, systematically placing the concerns of our earth at the centre of his creations.

Left: Mirazur Jardin Rosmarino. Located only a

metres from the restaurant, in

Alberto I,

Photograph © Matteo Carassale.

CAMPARI

Campari, the iconic, unforgettable Italian red spirit sitting at the heart of some of the world’s most famous cocktails was founded in Milan in 1860 by Gaspare Campari, and pioneered by his son, Davide, who created something so distinctive and revolutionary that its secret recipe has not been altered since. Vibrant red in colour, Campari’s unique and multi-layered taste is the result of the infusion of herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water. Today the look of Campari’s new bottle pays homage to Milan, reflecting the sleek, minimalist fashion and contemporary design that the city is known for - it is a visual homage to the city, combining effortlessness and understated elegance, just like Milan itself.

For over 160 years, the harmonious union between Campari and Milan has flourished, symbolizing a perfect fusion of tradition and innovation, history and progress. Milan, with its blend of modernity and heritage, serves as an ideal counterpart to Campari’s essence, embodying creativity across various domains, from design to art and cinema. United by a shared pioneering spirit, both Campari and Milan have evolved together, inspiring each other along the way.

Since its inception in 1860, the Campari bottle has evolved alongside Milan, drawing inspiration from the city’s sleek and contemporary aesthetic, and today, Campari pays tribute to this enduring bond with its new bottle design, a reflection of the brand’s deep-rooted connection to its hometown.

The new design captures Milan’s effortless elegance, characterized by clean lines and minimalist style.

The bottle’s new modern, streamlined silhouette serves as a visual homage to Milan. The direction of the lines, with a modern and direct cut, symbolize the journey of the Aperitivo ritual from Milano to the rest of the world, leading the eye to the city’s name in the center of the bottle. The bold lines and dynamic movement represent the vitality and transformation shared by Milan and Campari over time, reflecting their innovative and forwardthinking approach. Together, they embrace the past while embracing the future, continuing to inspire and shape the world of style and taste.

DRINKS

CAMPARI IN THE MIX

offering boundless and unexpected possibilities.

CAMPARI SPRITZ

Aromatic prosecco adds sparkling texture to this drink.

3 parts (3oz) Prosecco

2 parts (2oz) Campari

1 part (1oz) Soda Water

Pour prosecco, Campari and soda water directly into an ice-filled wine glass. Garnish with a slice of fresh orange.

NEGRONI

Dating back to Florence in 1919, the Negroni remains an ever-popular cocktail classic.

1 part (1oz) Campari

1 part (1oz) Gin

1 part (1oz) Sweet Vermouth

Pour Campari, gin and sweet vermouth into a mixing glass with ice. Stir until outside feels cold. Strain into a tumbler over 1 large ice sphere or some fresh ice. Garnish with an orange slice (use blood orange when in season).

AMERICANO

First served in Caffé Campari around 1860, it was originally known as the Milano-Torino due to its two main ingredients: Campari from Milano, and sweet vermouth from Torino.

1 part (1oz) Campari

1 part (1oz) Sweet Vermouth a splash of soda water

Pour Campari, sweet vermouth and a splash of soda water into a rock tumbler glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange slice.

NEGRONI SBAGLIATO

Invented in 1972 at Bar Rosso in Milan by accident when prosecco was poured into a Negroni instead of gin.

1 part (1oz) Campari

1 part (1oz) Red Vermouth

1 part (1oz) Prosecco (or sparkling wine)

Pour Campari, red vermouth and prosecco into a rock tumbler glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange slice.

CAMPARI & SODA

Dating back to 1915, Campari & Soda was first served at Camparino in Galleria and was the most popular drink on the menu. It was Davide Campari’s first memorable creation, and the way he wanted Campari to be tatsed by his clients. Created using an innovative soda machine (at the time, the first of its kind in Milan), Camparino’s Campari & Soda was the ultimate Milanese Aperitivo experience.

1 part (2oz) Campari (chilled)

3 parts (until top of glass) Soda Water (chilled)

Pour chilled Campari into a tulip glass and top up with soda water.

NEGRONI #1 Best Selling Cocktail Worldwide

This May Drinks International released the latest edition of its best-selling Cocktail Report, predicted on a poll of the world’s best bars that took place in late 2023, and for the third year running, the Negroni has taken the number one spot. According to Drinks International “we continue to live in the age of the aperitivo, with Italy’s contributions to our collective cocktail

Spritz in eighth position, and this firstplace winner for the third year running. There are plenty of easier-drinking cocktails on this list, yet the punchy Negroni, with its divisive bitterness, prevails. Unapologetically bold, but with depth and complexity, it’s an undisputed classic, and easy to reproduce too, with its equal-parts combination of gin, sweet vermouth and Campari.”

years, with bartenders swapping out any and all of its trio of ingredients to create new drinks,” says Drinks International. “One noteworthy variant, created in the 1970s, is attributed to Milan bartender Mirko Stocchetto. It’s said that while reaching for the gin for a Negroni, he accidentally grabbed a bottle of prosecco instead, creating a Spritz-like variant that has become known as the Negroni Sbagliato.”

5TH JUNE –WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY –OUR LAND, OUR FUTURE. WE ARE #GENERATIONRESTORATION. THEME 2024: LAND RESTORATION, DESERTIFICATION & DROUGHT RESILIENCE. 6th JUNE –WORLD OCEANS DAY –THEME 2024: CATALYZING ACTION FOR OUR OCEAN & CLIMATE.

EMBRACING A CARBON NEUTRAL FUTURE

THE IMPERATIVE OF LAND RESTORATION AND OCEAN CONSERVATION

Ocean’s Day on June 6th, the urgency to address our planet's environmental crises has never been more pronounced. These global observances serve as critical reminders of our collective responsibility to restore degraded lands, combat desertification, and enhance drought resilience, while also taking decisive action to protect our oceans and climate. This year’s themes converge on a pivotal objective: going carbon neutral. Achieving this goal is not just an environmental necessity but a survival imperative for humanity.

This page: Għajn Tuffieħa, Mellieha. Photo Hasmik Ghazaryan Olson.

TRANSITIONING TO A GREENER TRANSPORT SYSTEM

Transport Malta’s recent announcement of a €15 million financial grant for the purchase of new electric vehicles (EVs) marks a significant stride towards sustainable transportation in Malta. This initiative, part of the 2024 budget measures, aims to incentivise individuals, voluntary organisations, and enterprises to transition to electric vehicles and motorcycles, including pedelecs, writes the team at Transport Malta.

Funded by the €50.3 million allocation from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), this grant addresses challenges related to increased energy consumption and waste generation in Malta. Transport Malta, in collaboration with the EU, extended the fund availability until the end of 2025, ensuring continued financial incentives for electric vehicle adoption.

Col Dr Mark Malia, Transport Malta’s CEO, expressed confidence in the investment’s catalytic role in promoting public investment

in electric vehicles. He emphasised its contribution to creating a more environmentally friendly and sustainable transport landscape.

To streamline the application process, Transport Malta will introduce an online system, enhancing accessibility to the scheme. Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids meeting specific criteria will remain exempt from registration tax and annual road license fees for five years.

The scheme also supports Maltese voluntary companies and associations interested in electric vehicle fleets. Incentives are offered under existing state aid

regulations, tailored to accommodate diverse applicant needs.

The success of previous initiatives is evident, with a total of 14,447 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles recorded by the end of December 2023. The substantial increase in electric vehicle adoption reflects a strong endorsement of Malta’s sustainable transport efforts.

Transport Malta’s commitment to promoting electric mobility underscores Malta’s transition towards a greener and more sustainable transportation system, aligning with global efforts to mitigate climate change and reduce carbon emissions.

THE VITAL ROLE OF LAND RESTORATION

Land restoration is the cornerstone of the theme for this year’s World Environment Day. But what does this actually mean? In a nutshell, the degradation of land through deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices, and urban sprawl has led to a loss of biodiversity, increased carbon emissions, and diminished ecosystem services. This, in turn, exacerbates desertification and weakens our resilience to droughts - phenomena that are becoming alarmingly frequent due to climate change.

Restoring degraded lands involves reforestation, sustainable land management, and the rehabilitation of soil health. These practices not only sequester carbon but also rejuvenate ecosystems, ensuring they can support diverse plant and animal life. Projects like the Great Green Wall in Africa, launched in 2007, which aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, exemplify how large-scale restoration efforts can yield significant environmental and socioeconomic benefits. By absorbing carbon dioxide, revitalizing local economies, and providing food and water security, land restoration is a critical pathway to achieving carbon neutrality.

DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT RESILIENCE

Desertification, the process by which fertile land becomes desert as a result of various factors, including climatic variations and human activities, poses a severe threat to global food security and livelihoods. The United Nations estimates that desertification affects about 33% of the Earth's land surface, directly impacting the lives of over one billion people.

Building resilience to drought involves enhancing water conservation practices, adopting droughtresistant crops, and investing in infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather events. It also necessitates a shift towards more sustainable agricultural practices. Techniques such as agroforestry, permaculture, and regenerative farming not only improve soil health but also increase the land's capacity to retain water, thus mitigating the impacts of drought.

CATALYZING ACTION FOR OUR OCEAN AND CLIMATE

World Ocean’s Day highlights the intricate relationship between land and sea, emphasizing the need for integrated actions that address both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The oceans, which cover over 70% of the Earth's surface, play a crucial role in regulating the climate by absorbing about 30% of human-produced carbon dioxide and more than 90% of the excess heat generated by greenhouse gas emissions.

However, our oceans are under severe threat from pollution, overfishing, and acidification. The health of marine ecosystems is declining, with coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds - vital carbon sinksbeing particularly vulnerable. Catalyzing action for our oceans involves reducing plastic pollution, establishing marine protected areas, and promoting sustainable fishing practices. It also means enhancing our efforts to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions, as the fate of our oceans is inextricably linked to the global climate.

THE IMPERATIVE OF GOING CARBON NEUTRAL

Achieving carbon neutrality - which means balancing emitted carbon with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset - stands as the overarching goal that unifies these themes. The Paris Agreement underscores the need to limit global warming to well below 2°C, aiming for 1.5°C. This ambitious target requires rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban, and industrial systems.

Transitioning to renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydropower, is crucial for reducing carbon emissions. Equally important is the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and the promotion of sustainable transportation options. Furthermore, carbon pricing mechanisms and policies that incentivize carbon sequestration and the protection of natural carbon sinks are essential.

Businesses and governments around the world are increasingly committing to carbon neutrality. For instance, countries like Sweden and New Zealand have set legally binding targets to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045 and 2050, respectively.

Corporations are also stepping up, with numerous companies pledging to achieve carbon neutrality within the next few decades. These commitments are pivotal in driving the systemic changes needed to mitigate climate change.

A COLLECTIVE EFFORT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

As we observe World Environment Day and World Ocean’s Day, it's clear that the path to a sustainable future lies in our collective ability to restore our lands and protect our oceans while striving for carbon neutrality. These efforts are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, demanding coordinated action across all sectors of society.

By investing in land restoration, enhancing drought resilience, and taking decisive action to conserve our oceans, we can build a resilient, carbon-neutral world. This vision requires the concerted efforts of everyone - including individuals, communities, businesses, and governments. Together, we can catalyze the changes necessary to safeguard our planet for future generations, ensuring a thriving and sustainable world for all.

UNDERSTANDING AND PREVENTING A DUAL THREAT

THE LINK BETWEEN DIABETES AND DEMENTIA

Diabetes and dementia are two chronic conditions that are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. Recent research has shed light on the concerning link between these two diseases, emphasizing the importance of understanding diabetes, its types, and ways to prevent it to reduce the risk of developing dementia.

UNDERSTANDING DIABETES

Diabetes occurs when the body either cannot produce enough insulin or cannot use the insulin it produces effectively. Insulin is a hormone crucial for controlling glucose levels in the blood. Glucose, a primary fuel source, provides the energy needed for the body to perform its essential functions. There are two main types of diabetes including Type 1 (this chronic condition, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulindependent diabetes, is characterized by the body's inability to produce insulin) and Type 2. Type 2 diabetes, the most common form, arises mainly from insulin resistance in muscle, fat, and liver cells, combined with inadequate insulin production by the pancreas. It is often associated with lifestyle factors and can develop at any age. A third type, gestational diabetes, occurs temporarily during pregnancy and usually resolves after childbirth, but it can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

THE LINK BETWEEN DIABETES AND DEMENTIA

Research has indicated a significant link between type 2 diabetes and an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and other forms of dementia. The underlying connection lies in shared cardiovascular issues, such as obesity, heart disease, circulation problems, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, all of which elevate the risk of both type 2 diabetes and dementia.

In individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, similar to those with diabetes, glucose is not properly utilized in the brain. This may be due to nerve cell death, which reduces the brain’s ability to interpret messages. In vascular dementia, brain cells die due to lack of oxygen, preventing effective communication between brain cells. Additionally, beta amyloid plaques, which accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, can interfere with insulin receptors in the brain, impacting insulin production and sensitivity.

Recent studies suggest that Alzheimer’s disease might be considered a form of "type 3 diabetes" due to the brain's decreased sensitivity or responsiveness to insulin. While this comparison highlights the similarities in the pathology of diabetes and Alzheimer's, it's important to note that diabetes remains a risk factor rather than a direct cause. Not everyone with diabetes will develop dementia, but the risk is notably higher.

REDUCING YOUR RISK FOR DIABETES AND DEMENTIA

The good news is that many of the measures that help prevent diabetes also reduce the risk of dementia. Some effective strategies include a healthy diet: consuming a balanced diet rich in vitamin D, folate, and B6 and B12 vitamins supports overall health. Focus on whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, and a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Regular exercise and physical activity helps maintain a healthy weight, improves cardiovascular health, and enhances brain function. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, combined with muscle-strengthening activities.

Mental stimulation and keeping your mind active through learning new skills, reading, and engaging in puzzles or games can enhance cognitive function.

Social engagement and staying socially active helps reduce stress and can protect against cognitive decline. Participate in community activities, clubs, or regular social gatherings.

The intertwined nature of diabetes and dementia underscores the importance of proactive health management. By adopting a healthy lifestyle that supports cardiovascular and brain health, you can significantly reduce your risk of both conditions. As we continue to learn more about these diseases, it becomes increasingly clear that what benefits the heart also benefits the brain.

Photography this page Caroline Attwood. Some information sourced from the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE LINK BETWEEN DEMENTIA AND HEARING LOSS?

This February, Malta officially launched its second National Dementia Strategy. This strategy provides a framework of targets and projects that Malta’s health services will follow over the next 7 years to enhance the management of the condition of Dementia within the Maltese Islands. One focus is risk reduction – several risk factors have been identified that increase a person’s risk of developing Dementia in the future. Numerous entities from around the world acknowledge the importance and benefits – both individual and national –acquired from a reduction in the number of Dementia cases, and therefore support programmes of risk reduction. One of the newer risk factors identified by Alzheimer’s International’s studies is Hearing Loss writes Nicole Marie Zerafa, General Practitioner, Dementia Care Directorate – Active Ageing & Community Care.

Despite its small size, the human ear boasts a complex anatomy consisting of several parts and structures all working together to allow for interpreting sound waves and maintaining postural equilibrium. In other words, the ear has two main functions: hearing and balance. Given its complex anatomy, it is no wonder that secondary to ageing the function of the ear begins to wane over time. Some of the normal changes experienced with increasing age in the ear are:

HEARING LOSS

It is normal for older persons to have difficulty in detecting and interpreting sounds as they did when younger, especially, high-pitched sounds. It may also be difficult to hear sounds in the background or differentiate between similar sounding noises.

TINNITUS

This term describes a sensation of persistent ‘noise’ consistently heard in the ear. The noise may be a whistling, humming or even other sound that is consistent throughout the day. It may be caused by wax build-up, or direct damage to any of the multiple ear structures used in interpretation of sound.

IMPACTED EAR WAX

Ear wax production is a normal part of a healthy ear. Wax protects the ear in forming a barrier to foreign objects and infections entering the ear. With age the normal clearance of wax slows down, leading to cases of wax build-up within the ear. Should that wax become trapped inside the ear canal (either because there is too large an amount, it has been pushed in by instruments such as cotton-buds or trapped in view of overlying infection) it is called impacted wax.

While these changes are considered ‘normal’ with increasing age, they still require attention by seeking appropriate medical advice to ensure no other abnormal processes are going on. Moreover, although some hearing loss appears to be an inevitable part of ageing, action may yet be taken to prevent significant or complete hearing loss.

BUT WHY IS THE SENSE OF ‘HEARING’ SO IMPORTANT?

Hearing is a crucial function at several stages in an individual’s life, from infancy, all the way to advanced age. It plays a significant role in child development, enabling children to adapt to different sounds, interpret different emotions, and learn languages. Issues with hearing in infancy may lead to delayed speech development. In older adults hearing remains important in maintaining orientation, confirming surroundings, language interpretation and practice, and maintaining social skills. When older individuals stop hearing properly one may notice them to become more withdrawn, quiet, and remove themselves from social situations. Both hearing loss itself and social withdrawal have been linked to an increased risk of developing Dementia.

Several studies over the past few years have confirmed the increasing risk of cognitive decline, and thereby Dementia, with increasing severity of hearing loss. This means that the worse the hearing loss, the higher the risk of developing Dementia. However, it has also been shown that use of appropriate hearing aids slowed down cognitive decline in those persons with mild, moderate, or even severe hearing loss. Hence, treatment of hearing loss improved mental ability, and this decreased the risk of development of Dementia. Finally, it was also shown that even in those individuals with established Dementia, treatment of hearing loss improved daily function and mental ability. Therefore, Alzheimer’s International recommend the appropriate treatment of hearing loss to prevent or improve cognitive decline, and the generalised protection against excessive noise exposure.

The local Dementia helpline 1771 is a helpline that provides advice to patients living with Dementia, and their caregivers, about managing the condition. It also provides information about the multiple services offered by the local Dementia Care Directorate within the Active Ageing and Community Care: aacc.gov.mt

PRIORITISING EMPLOYEE WELLBEING WITH PROACTIVE STRATEGIES

The year 2024 marks a significant shift towards a more health-conscious and mindful way of living. With the advancement of technology and modern lifestyles, people have become increasingly aware of the negative impact these can have on their well-being. As a result, prioritizing self-care has become a top priority for individuals and companies alike. Despite the challenges posed by economic and environmental factors, people are determined to maintain a high quality of life. Professionals seek ways to achieve a healthy balance between work and personal life, making positive changes to their daily routines. This growing awareness of the importance of health and well-being is a positive trend that promises to have a lasting impact on our society, writes Elisa Camilleri, Human Resources Manager, CareMalta Group.

At CareMalta Group we have implemented a range of initiatives to support the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of employees. From wellness programs to counselling services, caregivers are provided with a comprehensive support system designed to help our individuals thrive both personally and professionally. After all, a workforce that is healthy and happy is a more productive, engaged, and motivated workforce, resulting in better outcomes for service users and a more positive workplace culture overall.

ENSURING SUPPORT AND RECOGNITION

The caregiving profession is not without its challenges. Caregivers must navigate various emotional situations that require resiliency and compassion daily. Additionally, physical demands brought by the nature of the profession can leave even the most experienced feeling exhausted and drained. It is of no surprise, that stress and burnout are common concerns among professionals in this field. That is why the health and well-being of employees in a health and social care environment are of paramount importance, not only for the individuals themselves but also for the quality of care they can provide to people in their care.

At the core of CareMalta Group’s HR strategy lies an unwavering commitment to cultivating an environment that prioritizes the well-being of employees and service users. We acknowledge the challenges our colleagues face as they strive to offer our service users a home away from home. It is, therefore, our mission to ensure they receive the support and recognition they truly deserve.

Transparency and openness are not merely ideals but guiding principles that shape every aspect of our operations. Fostering a culture of empowerment through our open-door policy, every voice is valued, and, as such, every concern is addressed with care and respect. Moreover, we understand the importance of work-life balance in maintaining the health and happiness of employees. We recognise that everyone has a personal life and aspirations outside of work and that our employees deserve the time to nurture their relationships. In times of adversity, employees can rely on the support of the company, knowing that they are not alone in facing life's challenges. Whether grappling with personal hardships or professional setbacks, our colleagues have access to a comprehensive support system designed to provide them with the resources and guidance they need to navigate difficult times. That is why we offer access to independent professional counselling services for all our employees, where confidentiality is always a top priority. In line with this, our management team receives professional coaching to assist them in guiding and supporting their respective team members in dealing with any situation that may arise. Additionally, our Human Resources department is always available to provide administrative support, training, and well-being programs. We also understand that health issues can be a source of financial strain, which is why Vassallo Group has established a foundation to provide financial assistance to employees who require it.

Moreover, the company offers various training and development opportunities, which allow our employees to expand their knowledge, hone their skills, and unlock their full potential. By investing in professional growth and development, we not only enhance the quality of service but also empower our employees to reach new heights of excellence in their roles.

FOSTERING A POSITIVE WORK CULTURE

At CareMalta Group, we strive to foster a positive workplace culture through mutual respect, inclusivity, and diversity. We recognize the invaluable contributions of our diverse team members, understanding that their unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives enrich our organization and enhance the quality of care we provide. We believe that embracing inclusivity promotes a sense of belonging, creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

Our employees are our most valuable assets, each contributing immeasurably to the heart of our organisation. Our HR function, in line with the strategic direction of Senior Management, works diligently to promote an environment that is not only positive and supportive but also profoundly inclusive and diverse, mindful of the emotional currents that course through our facilities.

Moving forward, at CareMalta Group we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing our employees with the support, recognition, and appreciation they deserve, for they are the heart and soul of the CareMalta Group.

Elisa Camilleri, Human Resources Manager, CareMalta Group

HYDRA BEAUTY

MICRO LIP SERUM

THE NEXT-GENERATION CHANEL LIP CARE PRODUCT. Travel-friendly, sensorial, and intensely hydrating: CHANEL presents HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Sérum Lèvres, a next-generation lip care product that contains thousands of camellia micro-droplets. For a burst of hydration with every application. Photography CHANEL.

MICROFLUIDICS, FOR ENHANCED LIP HYDRATION

At the heart of the HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Sérum Lèvres formula is a cutting-edge microfluidic technology that preserves the power of white camellia by encapsulating it within thousands of micro droplets. Upon application they melt into the skin on contact. These white camellia micro-droplets are combined with intensely plumping hyaluronic acid, which captures and locks in moisture. Lips look and feel protected, nourished, and soothed and are perfectly prepped for makeup.

1 LIP SERUM, 4 ESSENTIAL WAYS TO APPLY IT

Aserum that is both effective and sensorial. Lightweight, fresh, and comfortable HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Sérum Lèvres is suitable for all situations.

01 EVERYDAY HYDRATION When applied to the lips in a thin layer, it delivers hydration along with a natural plumping and soothing effect. A serum that can go anywhere with you.

02 INTENSE NOURISHMENT The Micro Sérum Lèvres can be used together with HYDRA BEAUTY NUTRITION Baume Nourrissant Lèvres as an intense overnight hydrating mask. Apply a layer of HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Sérum Lèvres first, followed by the balm. Intense hydration.

03 LIPSTICK APPLICATION PREP Use HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Sérum Lèvres a few minutes before applying lip makeup. A hydrating base that leaves lips perfectly prepped for lipstick.

04 A FLAWLESS LIP LOOK Apply HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Sérum Lèvres as a finishing touch to enhance the hydrating benefits of any lipstick. Sublime lips, all day long.

THE HYDRA BEAUTY RITUAL

01

ENERGIZE SKIN AND EVEN ITS TEXTURE with HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Liquid Essence.

02 AWAKEN AND ILLUMINATE THE EYE AREA with HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Crème Yeux.

03 PLUMP SKIN with HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Sérum.

04 FORTIFY SKIN with HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Crème.

05 HYDRATE LIPS with HYDRA BEAUTY Micro Sérum Lèvres.